Elevator



March 18, 1930. J. D. SPALDING ELEVATOR Filed March 5, 1928 Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED S ATES PATENT OFFICE Join: n. srlunmc, orcaar'ron, PENNSYLYANIL'ASSIGNOR 'ro THE mmmr. sorrm: COMPANY, or 'romano, omo, A CORPORATION or one ELEVATOR Application ma March @1928. serial No. 259,120.

My invention relates to elevators for gripping and holding in suspension strmgs of drill pipe or casing or the like, and particularly those strings whose sections or lengths are .made up with flush joints, that is, with joints whose outside diameters are flush with the outside diameters of the pipes in the string. However, my elevator may be used to support a string of pipes by means of acoupling or collar attached ,to the string and resting on the upper face of the elevator in -the ordinary manner.

It is the object of this invention to provide an elevator having slips mechanically operated in either direction and capable of being locked against movement in one direction. More specifically, one object is to efiect the operation of the slips by means of shafts geared together. While shafts may dlrectly operate each slip, I have provided a single Fig. 1 is a plan view of an elevator constructed in accordance with the principles of this.

invention, the bail being omitted and parts being broken away; Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2 on Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a sectlon on the line'3-3 on Fig. 1;

On the drawin 10 designates the metallic body or frame 0 the elevator. It is nearly circular and has a downwardly tapering opening 11 in whose walls are the grooves 12, 13, 14 and 15, all in planes which include the axial center of the opening 11. The frame 10 has the trunnions 10 for the usual bail or links.

Slidable up and down on' the wall of the opening 11 are the four sli s 16, 17, 18 and 19. The slips 16 and 17 are iametrically opposite to each other and have secured thereto by the screws'20 the guides or ribs 21 and 22. 'These ribs ride in the grooves 14 and 15 and have lateral flanges 23 ridingin widenedparts Y 25 secured to them by the screws 26 and riding of the grooves 14 and 15, these parts being at the outer sides of the grooves and keep the ribs and their slips from inward movement. r The slips 18 and 19 which are between the slips 16 and 17 have the guides or ribs 24 and 55 in the grooves 12 and 13.

The slips 18 and 19 carry curved yielding metal strips 27 which liein grooves 28 in the outer faces of the slips and'are spanned by the guides 24 and'25, the screws 26 passing through the said strips. The strips 27 have their. ends projecting loosely into the adjacent edges of the slips 16 and 17, so that when the latter slips are operated 1n either direction, the slips 18 and 19 are caused to travel with them.

The body 10 has therein a shaft 28 lying transversely of the axis of the elevator and somewhat beyond the outer face of the guide 24. The ends of the shaft 28 have the gears 29 and. 30 which drive the shafts 31 and 32 arranged atright angles with the shaft 28, their central portions lying close to the outer faces of the guides 21 and 22. The latter have rack teeth 33 in mesh with pinion teeth 34 on the shafts 31 and 32. Thegears are so made that when the shaft 28 is turned by the handle 35, the-shafts 31 and 32 turn to move all the slips up or all the slips down together.

The shaft 28 has an annular series of ratchet teeth 36 cooperative withthe two plungertype detents or pawls 37 and 38. The pawl 37 lies on one side of the shaft 28 and the pawl 38 on the other side thereof. They are preferably alined with each other, their lnner ends engaging the opposite sides of the cam or eccentric finger 39 on the lower end of the v shaft 40 turnable in the body 10 by means of the handle 41. The pawls 37 and 38 are urged toward each other and the teeth 36 by the respective helical springs 42 and 43. Preferably the spaces between consecutive teeth are right angular. The pawls have right angular inner lower teeth or corners 95 44 and 45 which may one at a time enter certain of the said rectangular spaces. The cam finger is so related to the adjacent parts that, when it moves one pawl so as to interlock it with one of said teeth 36, it moves the 100 36 37 will be moved to the right out of the path o to move the interlocking pawl transversely of its direction of travel toward and away from the shaft 28, but the awl can not be so moved as it is closely con ned in the bore 46 in the body 10 having its outer end closed by the screw plug '47. The pawls have movement only toward and away from the teeth 36. As shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 28 can be turned clockwise as the tooth atthe left of the pawl tooth 44 willforce the pawl 37 to the-right againstthe tension ofthe spring 42 which will return the pawl into locking engagement with the next tooth. 36 as soon as the actuating tooth 36 has passed below the pawl tooth 44. "But the shaft 28 can. not be rotated anticlockwisebecause the tooth 36 beneath the pawl tooth 44 merely pushes the pawl more tightly against the'oppo'site side of the opening 46 without any tendency .to move it to the right. e

If the shaft 40 is rotated 180, the pawl of the teeth 36 and the pawl 38 be moved, by its spring 43 to the right so that its tooth 45 will interlock with-a tooth 36 on the left side of the shaft 28, and thereafter permit the shaft to be turned anticlockwise but prevent its being turned in the contrary direction.

In lowering a casing into a well hole with unlocked slips it may become momentarily stuck in the hole while the elevator which has up to that time been su porting it continues to descend. This the eevator can do as the slips will yield sli htlyso as to allow the I own the casing. When the driller has succeeded in releasing the ing, the slips may fail to regrip the saine sufelevator to slide ficiently to prevent the casing from dropping and causing serious'damage and possiblythe loss of the casing. With the parts as shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 28 can not turn anticlo'ck w1se. Consequentl the shafts 31 and 32,

can not be moved y any downward movement of the body,10 relative to the slip.

Therefore if a casing bein lowered by the elevator should stick with t e parts as in the drawing, the continued lowering of the hoist line would not cause the elevator to slip on the casing and there would benoliability of the casing is released.

In case the slips. are elevated as to 'e'lilarge the space surrounded by them, they 'tion ,wit

1,7oo',aaa

1. In an elevator or the like," a frame having. a downwardly ta ering opening, slips gulded on the wall 0 the openin shafts, means for rotatin the shafts, an connections between the s afts andthe slips whereby the rotation of the shafts operate the sli s, in combination With-means to lock the sha from' rotation in either direction while permitting the locked shafts to be rotated in the opposite direction.

2. In an elevator or the like, a frame having a downwardly tapering opening, slips having travel u and down on the wall of the opening, rac teeth carried by some only of the slips, a shaft carried by the frame, means for rotating the shaft, auxiliary shafts intergearedwith the first shaftand the said.-

rack teeth, and means connecting the slipsv with rack teeth with those without rack teeth to cause the latter to beoperated by the former. 1 Y

v 3. In an elevator or the like, a frame hav ing a downwardly-tapering opening,

slips operated up and down on the wall of t e ates the -slips,' ratchet teeth carried the shaft, a pair of'pawl members, one toengage the rate etjteeth to prevent the rotation of; 1 theshaft. in one direction and the other, to,

engage them to, prevent the rotation of the:

shaft in "the. opposite direction means urg-l I r king connec-f the ratchet teeth, and means; to

gawlin' interlocking obe at teeth and the ot er pawl out of interlocking position with the.

ing the awlstoward' interloc selectively hold o'ne sitionjwith the rate ratchet teeth; 1 1 In testimony whereof I hereunto .aflix iny i na ur a Ina;

JOHN 1). team;

will be securely held elevated provided the.

pawl 38 has the teeth 36. v 7

previously been engaged with l 

